While I love getting Christmas gifts as much as the next person, I always feel guilty when I throw away the packaging. Not all packaging, mind you, but the NICE packaging. The cute wooden crate, the adorably decorated nesting boxes, etc. I like to find ways to reuse them when I can.
Today, you’ll be joining me in my garage to repurpose one of these bad boys:
Ye olde popcorn tin. It once held a triple delight of butter, cheese, and caramel popcorns. Now I am going to turn it into something else. I don’t remember where or when I came across this idea. It has been rattling around inside my head for a few years, and I am finally getting around to it.
Before we get started, I want to give you a heads up that this, like most things, won’t be for everyone. I am going to turn this tin into an outdoor ash tray.
Supplies:
- Popcorn Tin
- Sand, enough to fill it
How To:
Clean out your tin of any popcorn residue. Dump the sand in. Put the lid on top to keep out rain, etc.
And you’re done! I told you this was a fast one!
I only needed a little over one bag of sand to fill my tin. I will keep the rest to top off my new ash tray as needed.
What are some of your favorite ways to repurpose gift containers? Let us know in the comments!
As always, thank you for being here! See you soon!
Do you paint the outside of the tin?
Great question! You certainly could paint the outside with a paint made for outdoor use that also adheres to metal. In my case, I would have needed to sand down the existing paint before adding new paint. I would paint the tin before filling with sand, and only on the outside, just to be certain the paint won’t catch on fire.